After going unselected in the 2024 NBA Draft, Jalen Bridges has agreed to a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns, per Shams Charania. Bridges spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career at Baylor.
In the 2023-24 season, Bridges averaged 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 41.4% from beyond the arc. Bridges started all 69 games he appeared in during his two seasons with the Bears.
For his efforts, he earned a spot on the 2024 All-Big 12 Third Team, 2023 NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team and 2024 Julius Erving Preseason Top-20. Prior to transferring to Baylor, Bridges spent two seasons at West Virginia.
Bridges made 61 collective appearances for the Mountaineers, including 33 starts in his sophomore year alone. The West Virginia native averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his second season with the program.
Bridges played high school basketball at Fairmont Senior High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 112 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
What NBA Draft experts are saying about Jalen Bridges
While experts don’t expect Bridges to be an instant star in the NBA, they seem to agree he can find a role at the next level. Ahead of the draft, RotoWire attempted to explain what that role may look like.
“Bridges is a player who thrives when operating off the ball, as he shows decent movements off screens on both ends of the court and tends to pick his spots very well when on the offensive side of the ball, moving well and showing the ability to finish at the rim.
“His relatively weak shooting numbers don’t tell the whole story because even though he wasn’t an accomplished three-point threat at the college level, he has excellent mechanics and should eventually improve with more reps and the right coaching. The former Baylor standout wasn’t much of a creator, so that’s another area that supports the motion of him being a “three-and-D” player at the NBA level.
“On the defensive end, Bridges showed the ability to defend guards and wings at the college level, and he has enough strength to defend power forwards in small-ball lineups. He has above-average defensive instincts and playmaking ability, so even if his shot never reaches its ceiling, Bridges can still impact off the bench as a defensive asset.”
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